Town Destroyed SAVAGE BOMBARDMENT

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21549, 11 October 1941, Page 8

Town Destroyed

SAVAGE BOMBARDMENT

NAZI ATTACK CHECKED

ENEMY’S BIG LOSSES

(United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Oct. 11, 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 10 Denying that Marshal Timoshenko’s armies are surrounded, the Red Star quotes a message from the Orel sector stating that the southern claw of the pincer movement against Moscow has been checked, but the position there requires consolidation.

The Tass agency reports that in the past five days the Russians on the Viazma sector, under General Boldin, have destroyed 220 tanks and 140 lorries and annihilated between 7000 and 8000 German officers and men. Fierce fighting continues in this sector.

After the massing of superior numerical forces the Germans, furiously attacking, again succeeded in advancing at certain points. The Russians continue to inflict heavy losses elsewhere. In the Viazma sector the troops under General Lukon killed 4500. The Red Star describes the frightful destruction of Novgorod. All the palaces and cathedrals were destroyed by fire.

Long before the capture of the city savage aerial bombardments of residential quarters destroyed district after district, only 60 houses being undamaged, the remainder being either destroyed or uninhabitable. All window frames and doors were tom out. Every store and shop was looted. A few inhabitants are left. Nothing is purchaseable. Claims by Germans

A German communique states: We further tightened the encirclements of the Sea of Azov, Bryansk and Viazma on October 9. The 300miles breach in the central front has been extended eastwards. We took prisoner 12,500 Russians. The German news agency claims that the German advanced unit, which cut the road to Moscow in the Viazma area, cut off a large Russian motorised unit. German reinforcements formed an iron ring around this area, from which the Russians had no escape and were wiped out. New Line of Defence With no announcement all day of positional changes on the central front it seems that Marshal Timoshenko has at least partially succeeded in holding the Germans while attempts are made to consolidate the new line of defence around Moscow and about 100 miles from the city. The Times correspondent on the German frontier says the Russian tactics here consist of fighting stubborn rearguard actions while they establish new positions roughly on a line Kjev-Viazma, Kaaluga, Mtsensk and Novosil. The fighting on the Viazma, Bryansk and Orel line is thus most important in gaining time for effective consolidation nearer Moscow, and indeed Marshal Timoshenko’s capacity to defend the capital seems largely to depend on the success of these rearguard actions and speedy withdrawal to new points.

The Germans are already claiming to have isolated Marshal Timoshenko from the armies of Marshal Voroshiloff and Marshal Budenny, but this seems premature, and the Russians are fighting back fiercely in the Rjev area to maintain the northern contact, and also are counter-attacking on the German right wing in the neighbourhood of Orel, with the dual purpose of keeping in touch with Marshal Budenny and relieving the pressure against Kharkov. Diverting German Forces

This counter-attack will have the further effect of diverting the German forces to defend the flank of the German drive toward the Donetz basin, between Orel and Kursk. Marshal Timoshenko’s chances here, as elsewhere, are unassessable with any accuracy. The Wilhelmstrasse apparently genuinely believes that the Russians have no first-class reserves worthy of mention, but the Red Star says new reserves are going into action and the best forces are en route to the front.

The Daily Mail’s Stockholm correspondent says Marshal Timoshenko has already received reinforcements of fresh troops, guns and tanks. The central drive against Moscow has naturally come into the limelight, but it is obvious that the invaders are concentrating at least equal forces and energy in the drives to Donetz and along the Sea of Azov to the Caucasus, which are most important and possibly essential for Germany if she is going to keep up high-pressure fighting. Before Lord Beaverbrook arrived the Russians talked of the conference lasting three or four weeks. As you know it lasted four days and that was more than Lord Beaverbrook had intended. It was, in fact, unlike any other conference I have attended before. It began in the usual way with the appointment of half a dozen committees. But it soon became clear that there were only three delegates—namely. Lord Beaverbrook, M. Stalin, and Mr Harriman. Advisers and experts had to work like slaves to produce reports on time. “And this, as it turned out, was the only possible technique, because you cannot be in the Soviet Union for a week without realising that everybody hesitates to reach decisions without the approval of M. Stalin. In such circumstances Lord Beaverbrook and Mr Harriman had to be as ready as M. Stalin himself to accept full responsibility.” Must Hein F*ich Other Mr Vernon Bartlett, making a broadcast speech on his return from Russia, said: “During the last generation Russia and ourselves followed two very different systems of government. This greatly increased the suspicions you might normally expect to find between two peoples whose languages and customs have been so unlike throughout the centuries. For more than a year the British Empire has had to bear the brunt of the war and now it is the turn of the Soviet Union. If we want victory, not merely stalemate, we have to learn to help each other as two great nations have never done before—otherwise we do not take advantage of the fact that Hitler has Involved himself in a war cn two

fronts. I "How does the work of Lord Beaverbrook and Mr A. Harriman at Moscow stand out against that background of facts ? How can we give Russia the help she needs to repel the German attack and dispel the suspicions that have grown up between Russia on the one hand and Great Britain and the United States on the other? I believe that the Moscow Conference has gone very far to achieve these two objects. Russian Cordiality Mr Bartlett said that in his opinion the growth of Russian cordiality in those few days o( the visit of the Anglo-American mission to Moscow was unmistakable. The rulers of Russia can now be in no doubt about the British and American determination to send supplies in great quantities to the Eastern front. Members of the mission agreed that the Soviet was an ally of great strength, great determination and great courage.